On December 18, 2025, Bobbi Clemmer and I channeled our inner Teton spirit, raging up the 2000 foot mega-classic Solar Slab as our final climb of 2025. We climbed the full route and scenic "walk-off" to Oak Creek in a civilized nine hours car to car. We also climbed a few harder variations to the standard route.
Sneaky Sick – Refried Brains (5.9, 4 pitches, 600′) – Black Velvet Wall – Red Rocks NCA, NV (12.17.2025)
Refried Brains is a lesser known but highly acclaimed route on the left margin of the famous Black Velvet Wall. Unique for the wall, it caters to the crack enthusiast with three long pitches of sustained and steep crack climbing, and one penultimate bolted arete pitch.
Splitter Heaven – Triassic Sands (5.10, III, 700′) – Whiskey Peak – Red Rocks NCA, NV (12.15.2025)
Triassic Sands is a legendary crack climbing route in Red Rocks, home of few long and continuous cracks. The first four pitches follow an incredible crack system the entire way, logging some 600 feet of consistent jamming, with the second pitch's miraculous 45 meter hand crack being the standout.
Sleepy Ramble – Cookie Monster to Cat in the Hat (5.7, 3-5 pitches, II) – Mescalito Dome – Red Rocks NCA, NV (12.14.25)
Cookie Monster is a high quality 300 foot 5.7 on the East Face of Mescalito Dome that links seamlessly into the final and best two pitches of the Red Rocks easy classic Cat In The Hat (5.6, II).